Jilly - One wonders, though, about Sam and his life. He's in essence a "batman" from the UK military - the low class helper who shadowed his upper class officer and did everything for him immediately and loyally. In fact when I just went to look up Batman in wikipedia it says:

"J. R. R. Tolkien took the relationship of his characters Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins from his observations while in military service during World War I of the relationship between a batman and his officer"

So I do wonder if it was an even relationship. Sam was there at the beck and call of Frodo. Frodo was always taking action. Sam could complain or resist but in the end he simply had to do what Frodo did.